Log Cabin Calls for Death Penalty for Murderers of Matthew Shepard

"Brutality of this Kind is Intolerable, Indefensible and Deserving of the Most Severe Punishment," says Gay GOP Group

October 13, 1998

(Washington, DC) – The nation's largest gay Republican organization condemned the
brutal murder of Matthew Shepard, a 21 year-old gay student in Laramie,
Wyoming, and called on prosecutors to seek the death penalty under current
Wyoming law for the suspects who have been charged with the crime.

"This was an incomprehensible act of brutality against an innocent and
defenseless person," said Richard Tafel, executive director of Log Cabin
Republicans. "From the evidence, it is clear that anti-gay hatred was a
factor in this crime, but the sheer savagery of the murder of Matthew
Shepard is of such a magnitude that there should be no question but to seek
the most severe punishment available under the laws of Wyoming – the death
penalty. Society must send the strongest message that brutality of this
kind is intolerable, indefensible and deserving of the most severe
punishment."

Tafel praised Governor Jim Geringer (R-WY) for his swift and outspoken
condemnation of the crime, and for sending the message that while the state
legislature should work to address the problem of hate crimes in Wyoming,
there is also a bigger societal problem that must be addressed immediately
by the citizens of the state.

"Governor Geringer is correct in focusing the immediate response on what
this horrifying act says about the condition of our society in general,"
Tafel said, "and the need for all of us to reflect on how such a thing
could happen. While Matthew Shepard's killers must be brought to justice,
and legislation could be a short-term goal, we must tackle the larger issue
of hatred and violence in our society immediately. We should, as a nation,
ask ourselves why this happened, and what each of us can do from preventing
it from ever happening again."